Massively successful and influential when they were released in Japan during the early ‘60s, the Shinobi No Mono films never really took off overseas for whatever reason. Despite factoring into the ninja boom that Cannon Films, among others, would capitalise on in such a big way in the ‘80s, these movies remain fairly obscure outside Japan, but hopefully this deluxe box set will help do something about that.

Our hero is Ishikawa Goemon, a legendary Japanese folk hero who, in the first movie, is a young, hugely talented but still quite naïve ninja-in-training. Throughout the three movies presented here, we follow him through several years of adventures that see him deeply immersed in 16^th Century Japanese politics, and caught in a seemingly endless cycle of revenge.

The degree to which we’re thrown into the politics of the time can be a little bewildering, in all honesty. These were clearly made for a Japanese audience, presumably with little expectation of overseas success, and they assume a familiarity with the history that this writer, at any rate, doesn’t really have. It’s not difficult to follow along once you’re in the groove of it, but the second film in particular, Revenge, does throw you in the deep end with a slightly overwhelming blizzard of names and titles.

This focus on the real-world schemes and machinations of these major historical figures is a big part of what helps the Shinobi movies stand out from so many other ninja flicks, however. They’re firmly rooted in real historical events and deeply committed to a grounded, earthy realism that helps them avoid the silly cliches of so many of the ninja movies that would follow them.

Goemon, played with charm and panache by Raizo Ichikawa, “the Japanese James Dean”, is a deadly fighter but he’s far from invincible, and many of his ninja exploits involve stealth, infiltration, and disguise rather than simply slaughtering his way through armies of mooks. The sequences where he’s breaking into various powerful lords’ castles to either rob their treasuries or outright assassinate them are tense and thrilling, so even if the complicated plots begin to lose you a bit, there’s never long to wait for another great scene of straightforward ninja business.

There’s some quite startling violence here to punctuate the politics as well, including limbs being severed, multiple decapitations, a person getting boiled alive, and a genuinely shocking and upsetting scene of infanticide. It all feels like part of these films’ effort to put us in this real-time and place, refusing to sand down the rough edges of a bloody, violent period in history. A ninja’s job is violence, after all, with no regard for “killing each other like civilised people” as the samurai are expected to do.

The third movie here, Resurrection, is the strongest of the set in that regard, with Goemon single-mindedly obsessed with ruining and killing one specific lord. It ends the box set on a high note after the slightly scattershot Revenge, which could have done with more time to breathe and all but undoes the ending of the first, Band of Assassins. Think of how Alien 3 cancels out the ending of Aliens and you’re on the right track.

Still, whether you’re interested in the history of Japanese cinema or just really like ninja movies, you definitely ought to check out this box set. The Shinobi movies may have been made 60 years ago but they still feel fresh to this day, with the timeless quality that great sets, locations, and production design can give. They made loads more of them as well, so hopefully more than just these three will make their way to Blu-ray soon!